Last year, NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard was forced to apologize for using an anti-Semitic image of President Obama in a post he wrote (shown at right). Sheppard’s apology stated that “the original article included a doctored picture of Obama and others that turned out to have anti-Semitic imagery that I didn’t notice when I incorporated it into the piece. Those familiar with my work know that’s not something I would intentionally do. I apologize to anyone with better eyes than I have that noticed the imagery and was in any way offended.”
Well, Sheppard has managed to do it again — with the exact same image.
Media Matters once again caught Sheppard using the very same image — which shows Obama with a Star of David-patterned tie and an Israeli flag lapel pin, as well as former Sen. Joe Lieberman with a Israeli flag-themed tie — in a Sept. 21 NewsBusters post.
The image has since been removed from Sheppard’s post, but no apology was offered even though Sheppard has previously called the offending image anti-Semitic.
Sheppard’s new use of the image is inexcusable, and it calls into question his earlier claim that his earlier use was unintentional and the result of not having better eyes. And the lack of an apology for using it is just as disturbing given NewsBusters’ profuse apology last time.
Between pathetically cliched headlines, promotion of climate denier propaganda, and just plain getting stuff wrong, Sheppard has been an embarrassment to NewsBusters (if a boon to ConWebWatch). Will NewsBusters discipline Sheppard for his reign of error?